June 03, 2011

Building Blocks® is Blackboard's open architecture project. WizIQ has developed a new Blackboard Building Block to give synchronous, live classes using WizIQ Virtual Classroom, directly from the Blackboard Learn platform.

The WizIQ Virtual Classroom Building Block allows users of the Blackboard LearnTM platform to schedule and launch live classes, view attendance reports, and view recordings by simply clicking on the links in their Blackboard Learn accounts. The WizIQ Virtual Classroom Blackboard Building Block works with Blackboard Learn 9.0 and 9.1.

The WizIQ Virtual Classroom Blackboard Building Block features include:

Quick download, deployment, and configuration in just a few minutes

WizIQ Virtual Classroom can be accessed without additional authentication or duplication of user databases

Advanced communication features such as web camera sharing, VoIP audio communications, text chat and even screen and application sharing across computing platforms are available for real-time collaboration

Instructors can share PDF, Word documents, Excel sheets, YouTube videos from inside the WizIQ Virtual Classroom with all users in the course

Advanced Whiteboard tools built into WizIQ Virtual Classroom like drawing, math tool, etc., are available for better learning experience

Instructors can allow students to use microphone, web camera, or write on the whiteboard

WizIQ Virtual Classroom Building Block provides a nicely integrated workflow with Blackboard Learn platform. The close integration of WizIQ’s virtual classroom Building Block with Blackboard Learn platform frees teachers to focus on their content instead of the technology. This integration provides a way for Blackboard Learn™ administrators to easily install and configure the WizIQ Virtual Classroom Blackboard Building Block; allow teachers, instructors, moderators and course builders to schedule classes as part of their course offering; and students to enter live classes and view past class recordings.

WizIQ Virtual Classroom Building Block for Blackboard Learn platform provides instructors with a highly organized interface to schedule and manage classes. For each course, instructors, teaching assistants, course builders, and/or graders can schedule, conduct, manage and record live classes. Furthermore, classes are made available to all students registered in that course.

Schedule live classes

Here are some simple steps to schedule a class:

Define the class name, the start date and time, duration of class and description about the class in the class Schedule form (You can edit the class information any time)

Choose to record a class or not

Login to Blackboard Learn platform and click the Courses tab

Select the course from the course listing

Click Course Tools and select WizIQ Virtual Classroom Building Block from from Blackboard Learn’s Control Panel

Fill the schedule class form and click the Submit button

Manage classes

Once classes are scheduled, they get listed in Live and Upcoming Classes and also appear in the instructor’s My Calendar.

Here is how you can manage your classes:

View the complete list of current, upcoming and past classes on WizIQ Virtual Classroom home page

Edit class details, or cancel the upcoming classes

Join the class by simply clicking on that class’s title. Your students can also join the class in the same way (Attendees are not required to enter their usernames or passwords for the class, as they are pre-authenticated from the Blackboard Learn platform)

View the attendance report including details like, attendee name, exact duration of attendance, etc., after the completion of the class

View the recordings any time

WizIQ Virtual Classroom for students

Here is what students can do:

View class listings and class details, and enter live classes

Access recordings of past classes from WizIQ’s virtual classroom

Access upcoming classes directly from the list of Live and Upcoming classes and it’s course calendar

To join a live class or view a recording, students can simply click on the class title and WizIQ Virtual Classroom is launched. Students are not required to enter a username or a password for the class as they are pre-authenticated by the Blackboard LearnTM platform.

Once the live class is over, students can access recordings at any time.

Comments

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